Makeup, Middle School, and Moms

I remember the moment like it was yesterday. I was in 6th grade and my mom gave me permission to wear ONE swipe of mascara. That’s right, o-n-e. You already know the outcome before the letters even hit the page, but suddenly I forgot how to count, and one turned into at least 4 or 5 swipes. I recall lying to my mom when she asked if my application was indeed a single swipe. Mascara became the gateway to my addiction: makeup. Once I had mascara “mastered” my next discovery was eyeliner! Oh yes, I loved my liner! It had to be globbed on, chunky and anything but even. Next came the lipstick stage with my lip liner protruding above my lip line and shining through my light pink gloss. So attractive…I looked like a gang member. My middle school photos are a testament to that statement! All in all you could say that I was a closet make-up addict. I would literally sneak makeup into elementary school and slather it on only to wash it off before getting home. I needed a 12 step program.

So it makes me laugh a bit when moms talk to me about their daughters eyeliner, as if their daughter is the ONLY one globbing it on. Lets be real, probably 75% of us ladies did the same thing and the other 25% wished they could if their moms would have let them!

I am aware that some daughters out there are not interested in makeup and that’s ok, but for if your daughter is, well, its time to learn. With that said, I want to address HOW to talk your daughter about make up, and how you can make it fun instead of an unnecessary fight.

The first step is plan on making an afternoon or at least day of it. Don’t just think about fulfilling your duty, instead use this opportunity to create a memory. Instead of being reactive be proactive. Set up a consultation with a professional makeup artist at the mall, salon or even in your home. This will give her the freedom to learn, ask questions, figure out right colors, and discover that perhaps less really is more! But then again, makeup is very fun and creative, and she might just realize that more IS actually MORE, thank you M.A.C! Not only will this be beneficial to your daughter but mom’s I bet you will pick up a couple tips along the way as well.

Finally, before your day is done, take some time over, coffee, dinner or dessert to remind her that makeup is just an accessory to her beauty and that it does not define who she is (this is a great reminder for us adults as well). Though it is enjoyable to accentuate and enhance different areas of our face, at the end of the day we wash it off (at least I hope you do, if not we need to talk) and are left with our natural beauty. Who we are inside! So have fun with her, get into her world, and make a memory!

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